Obituaries

Obituary: Barbara Owen

Barbara Jean Owen, 77, died at her Idyllwild home on Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. She was born Aug. 25, 1931, in Kansas City, Kan. Services will be for immediate family members only in San Diego. She is survived by her husband, John Owen, of nearly 60 years; a brother, Robert Canfield; five sons, Randy, Gary,…

Obituary: Karen McKay

Karen L. McKay, 57, died quietly Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. Karen, a new resident to Idyllwild, loved this small community, especially her walks in Humber Park and coffee on the deck of Café Aroma. Townspeople always saw her with her dog, Rockie, at her side. She is profoundly missed.

Obituary: Baird Bryant

An award-winning cinematographer, documentary filmmaker and 17-year Idyllwild resident Baird Bryant, 80, died Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008, from complications from colon cancer surgery at Hemet Valley Medical Center. Baird was a pioneer of the hand-held camera, but also used digital cinematography in a career that included more than 100 films and spanned five decades. Many…

Obituary: Ronald Rasmussen

Ronald Rasmussen, 54, of Idyllwild, passed away Monday, Oct. 13, 2008, in Los Angeles, after an 8-month brave battle with MRSA, a deadly illness. Ron will best be remembered for his ready smile and willingness to help when someone was in need. Ron’s dog, Buster, preceded him in death the year before. Ron and Buster…

Obituary: Joy Agnew

Joy Agnew, 60, of Vandalia, Ohio, died of cancer at home Monday, Nov. 10, 2008. She was born Aug. 25, 1948, in Piqua, Ohio, to Robert and Betty Bayless. Ms. Agnew attended Edison State College in Piqua, Ohio. She worked at Idyllwild Arts, for the U.S. Postal Service and for Boojum Institute. Along with living…

Obituary: Sheila Lenik

Sheila Eileen Lisker Klass Lenik, 78, of Idyllwild, died in Hemet Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. She was born in Philadelphia, Penn., on Feb. 17, 1930. Sheila was a loving mother, wife, sister and daughter. Her life was filled with creativity, love and friendship. She spent some of the happiest years of her life here in…

Obituary: Barbara Louise Jones

Barbara Louise Jones, 75, of Idyllwild, died at home Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008, from complications of diabetes. She was born Jan. 2, 1933, in Colton, to Arthur and Bertha Jones. She was a graduate of the University of Southern California. She had also lived in Bloomington, Diamond Bar, Taft and Bakersfield. Barbara was a physical…

Obituary: Jerry DeSpain

Jerry R. DeSpain, of Palm Desert, passed away Monday, Sept. 1, 2008, at Veterans Hospital in Loma Linda after a brief illness. Sadly, the very next day his beloved little dog Joey unexpectedly went to be with Jerry. Born Jan. 16, 1943 in Redlands to Mildred Brock and Robert DeSpain, both deceased, Jerry graduated from…

Obituary: John DeBlanc

John DeBlanc, 74, of Escondido and Idyllwild, died of liver cancer at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido on Friday, Sep. 26, 2008. He was born May 23, 1934. John and his wife Paula bought a home in Idyllwild 16 years ago in anticipation of his retirement from the Convair Division of General Dynamics. They commuted…

Obituary: Anita Mellott

A Garner Valley ranch owner was killed and her husband suffered major injuries in a weekend traffic collision on Highway 49 near the South Yuba River in Northern California on a clear and warm day. At about 9 a.m. Sunday, John Mellott, 72, of Mountain Center, was riding his 2001 BMW motorcycle northbound on Highway…